Connie LeStorti, a proud member of the Germantown and Willow Grove communities passed away on May 4 at age 102. Born Conchetta Pellizzeri in Reggio Calabria, Italy on April 14, 1920, Connie emigrated to the United States, arriving at Ellis Island on August 16, 1927. Originally settling in Washington, Pennsylvania, her family moved to the Germantown section of Philadelphia. There she met Anthony F. LeStorti. They were married on Dec 14, 1944 and remained married until his death in 2001. They raised two children in Germantown until the family moved to Willow Grove, PA. in 1967.

As a young woman she worked as a laundress and then learned soldering. Her soldering skills—first as a technician, and then as a quality control specialist—were applied in NASA's Apollo Program, including on Apollo 11, the first manned mission to the moon. Then, working with an inventor, she produced some of the first devices that allowed African Americans to have their heart pacemakers monitored remotely by telephone hook-up. Later, developing computer skills, she worked at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit in support of special education programs in Montgomery County.

Many of her cooking and baking recipes were famous, and she gladly shared them with her friends. Oftentimes, however, the ingredients took the form of "some, I don't know how much" because she did so much automatically and did not measure.

She volunteered to serve meals to the homeless and enthusiastically assisted her husband in his various roles within the Knights of Columbus. Often, on Christmas Eve, she took the role of Mrs. Claus to accompany her husband as Santa, as they visited and gave gifts to neighborhood children. For her unselfish service, she received the Honoree of the Year Award from the Sons of Italy. She was an avid fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, especially enjoyed knitting and crocheting, and loved giving her finished handiwork to others.

Connie is survived by her son, Anthony J. LeStorti (Lorraine); grandchildren Anthony Scalfaro (Bonnie), Kevin Scalfaro (Kathleen), Kevin Sam Kensey (Christine), Suzanne Kolesar (Timothy); and four great grandchildren, Gabriel, Blaise, Andrew, and Megan. She is predeceased by her daughter, Patricia Marie Kensey.

For the LeStorti and Pellizzeri families, she is the last of the "greatest generation" and will be sorely missed.

A viewing will be held from 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Angelone Funeral Home, 501 Easton Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090. A Mass of Christian Burial and Celebration of Life will follow at 10:30 a.m. at Queen of Peace Church, 820 North Hills Avenue, Ardsley, PA 19038. Interment will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.